Buoyancy attachment for ships.



J. PERSAK. BUOYANCY ATTACHMENT FOR SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2!,1917- Patentedfiept. 25, 191?.

urn ens arnr ripe.

JOSEPH PERSAK, OF BURwELL NEBRl-ksKA.

BUOYANCY ATTACHMENT FOR SHIPS.

' rea ers.

Application filed. July 21, 1917.

To all whom it may-concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr PERSAK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Burwell, in the county of Garfield and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buoyancy Attachments for Ships, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to buoyancy attachments for sea going vessels and consists of parts so arranged that they may be applied to any type of ship or vessel to prevent loss of life and cargo.

The invention broadly includes a pair of wings which may be extended from the sides of a vessel and may be inflated to prevent foundering or sinking, and which may be retracted after being deflated and collapsed tooccupy a limited space when not in use.

One of the specific objects is to provide means for buoyancy which may be so disposed when not in use that it will not interfere with the movements or speed of the ship.

Another specific object is to provide flexible containers for air which will be conveniently housed from the weather and protected from injury without occupying any of the space within the ship usually required for containing the cargo.'

The invention also includes means for moving the wings coincidently from the sides of a ship, and for inflating the containers or buoys simultaneously to prevent listing, said means to be effective in operation to prevent sinking of the ship, and to be convenient in operation;

With the foregoing objects in view the invention presents a novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as described herein and claimed, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the hull of a vessel with the improvement applied thereto, the buoys or wings being extended. Fig. 2 is a view in transverse section through the hull on line 22 of Fig. 1, one of the wings being broken away. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail showing one of the truss arms or buoy-supporting arms and a pair of bearingplates, in transverse section. Fig. 4 is a transverse section, on an enlarged scale, through one of the buoy-supporting arms, as a section between lines 4-4, H of Fig. 2.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentedfiept. 25, 1917.

Serial No. 182,024..

Referring now to the drawing 1 have shown the hull of a vessel 5, which may be of any size or proportion, provided, between its sides, with upper and lower parallel alining-plates 6 and 7.

Numerals 8 and 8 indicate truss-arms, each preferably being rectangular in crosssection, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and provided at its inner end with rollers 9. Any desired number of these arms may be used, and'they are disposed, at intervals, transversely of the ship, their outer ends, at each side of the ship, being provided with a housing-plate 10 preferably of semicircular form in cross-section, suitable apertures being provided in the sides of the hull above the water line for receiving said arms, and suitable roller members 11 being provided for the hull, as best shown in Fig. 2, for bearings upon the upper and lower sides of said arms.

Means are provided, to be described, for moving the arms 8 and 8 coincidently and outwardly from the sides of a ship, or for moving them inwardly thereof, the rollers 9 engaging the alining-plates 6 and 7 to prevent undue friction, the rollers 11 also operating for the same purpose.

Numeral 12 indicates a driving shaft in suitable bearings adapted to be rotated by any suitable source of power, a band-wheel 13 and belt being shown for use in connection with said rotatable means. The shaft is provided with pulleys arranged in pairs, as the pulleys 14. and 1st, and upon each pulley is wound a cable, band or belt, indicated at 15 and 15 the ends of these respective cables being secured to the inner ends of truss-arms 8 and 8. Secondary pulleys or sheaves 16 and 17 are also provided in pairs, these secondary pulleys being socured to the respective sides of the hull for supportingthe cables or bands 15 and 15.

As thus described, a rotatable movement of the shaft 12, in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2, will cause the arms 8 and 8 to move outwardly from the sides of the vessel, and a reverse rotation of the shaft 12 obviously will cause the arms to move inwardly and coincidently, in directions opposed to each other, since the cables 15 and 15 respectively are wound upon the pulleys 1a and 14: in directions opposed to each other.

Numerals 18 indicate flexible containers for air, and they may be inflated by forcing air therein, the air moving through any suitable arrangement of pipes.

Numerals 19 indicate a pair of line pipe disposed upon the inner sides of the hull, each being provided with branches 20 which project outwardly of the sides of the hull to communicate with the flexible air containers 18, and any suitable means may be provided for pumping air through the pipes 19 and 20 for inflating said containers.

It will be understood that the arms 8 and 8 are normally disposed within the hull and are never moved outwardly except when an emergency occurs.

Numerals 21 indicate brackets which encircle the arms 8 and 8 and they may have slidable movements on said arms, the containers 18 being supported by suitable hangers 22 which project below the brackets; and when the containers 18 are deflated, the arms 8 and 8 may be moved inwardly of the hull, the containers occupying a limited space at the sides of the hull above the water line, to be completely covered by the housing plates 10 and protected from injury.

If an accident occurs which would ordinarily cause the vessel to sink, the arms 8 and 8 are at once moved outwardly to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing. The containers are then inflated with air, which will prevent sinking of the vessel. It will be appreciated that the mechanism and parts as described may be so arranged and disposed that they will occupy a limited part of the valuable space of a vessel, and it is considered that the expense required for construction is very slight compared with the value of life and property which may be saved by use of the invention.

While I have described parts in detail it will be understood that I may change minor details of construction as may be found to be of advantage, and that size, form, proportion and material to be employed may be changed, within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In buoyancy means for ships, a plurality of arms provided with flexible containers and coincidently movable outwardly Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the from the opposed sides of the ship, and means to inflat the containers.

2. In buoyancy means for sea going vessels, a plurality of supporting arms provided with flexible containers and adapted to be moved coincidently outward from each side of the vessel, curved housing plates disposed outwardly of the sides of the vessel and mounted upon the ends of the supporting arms, flexible containers carried by the supporting arms, and arranged to be inflated, said supporting-arms being arranged for coincident movements inwardly of the sides of the vessel after the containers have been deflated, to dispose the curved housingplates in engagement with the sides of the vessel outwardly of said flexible containers.

3. In devices for the purpose described, the combination with the hull of a vessel, said hull being provided between its sides with guides, supporting-arms coincidently movable on said guides transversely of the hull from the sides of the vessel, a pair of housing-plates of semicircular form in crosssection each being disposed at the side of the vessel and mounted on the ends of the supporting-arms, brackets encircling and slidably mounted on the supporting arms,

a plurality of flexible containers carried by the brackets, and a plurality of pipes car- .ried by the hull and in communication with the containers for conducting air under pressure for inflating said containers.

1. In combination with the hull of a vessel, a shaft in bearings disposed longitudinally of the hull and provided with pulleys arranged in pairs, supporting arms disposed transversely of the hull and provided with buoy-members, cables wound upon the pulleys or" each pair and connected with the supporting-arms, said shaft being revoluble in one direction for coincidently moving the supporting-arms outwardly of the sides of the hull.

In testimony whereof, I have afiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH PERSAK.

Witnesses:

JosErH J. MEYERS, W FLoY HARTFORD.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

